Austrian accomplice of Taylor Swift terror plotter faces beheading in Saudi Arabia

By JAKE HOLDEN, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:09, 22 June 2026 | Updated: 15:29, 22 June 2026 The alleged Austrian accomplice of the failed terrorist who plotted to suicide bomb a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna now faces beheading in Saudi Arabia. The 21-year-old suspect, known only as Hasan E due to strict Austrian privacy laws, is currently on trial for another terror attack in Mecca during which he allegedly stabbed five people in March 2024 on behalf of ISIS. He is alleged to have conspired with terrorists known as Beran A - the Taylor Swift bomb plotter - and Arda K, who were supposed to carry out simultaneous attacks in Istanbul and Dubai but pulled out at the last minute. The verdict against Hasan E is expected tomorrow. All attempts made by him to be extradited from Saudi Arabia back to his home country of Austria to escape possible decapitation have failed. Saudi Arabia remains the only country in the world that routinely uses beheading with a sword as its primary method of execution. A modern-era record was set in 2025 when the country executed 356 prisoners in a single year. He was arrested on the day of his knifing spree in Mecca on March 11, 2024, and investigations revealed that Hasan E was working in a broader terrorist network - allegedly connecting him to Beran A and Arda K and the failed Taylor Swift bomb plot. Saudi Arabian courts have heard about his alleged links to the planned massacre at the pop star's Vienna show of her Eras Tour in August 2024. Conspirators were found with explosives, knives and plans of a 'massacre' before they could begin the attack and the concert was cancelled, disappointing 200,000 fans and Swift herself. Hasan E is on trial for his alleged role in a knife attack outside the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca (pictured) in which five people were stabbed. He is said to have helped plan other simultaneous attacks with Beran A and Arka Kthat did not go ahead in Istanbul and Dubai Hasan E is thought to have been connected to the ISIS jihadist cell involved with the failed terrorist bomb plot meant for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert in Vienna in August 2024. Here, two defendants appear in an Austrian court in connection with the plot Hasan E is said to have been the jihadist mentor and schoolmate of Beran A - who was jailed for 15 years for his involvement in the planned concert attack.  Arda K was not involved in the Taylor Swift massacre plan but was jailed for 12 years for his involvement in the jihadist cell. During Hasan E's trial in Saudi Arabia, the defendants described him as the driving force behind terrorist plans. While Beran A and Arda K did not carry out their attacks, Hasan E was the only one who is believed to have gone through with his plan. He is alleged to have bought a knife at a fruit and vegetable market in Mecca and is thought to have then stabbed a security guard in the neck in front of the Al-Haram Mosque. He is said to have then attacked four more people. All five victims survived, however. Hasan E was arrested the same day of the attack and has been in custody ever since. The Austrian Foreign Ministry confirmed recently that it is providing consular support and maintaining regular contact with the Austrian national. Little is known of the conditions of his detention but the alleged terrorist said that he was being held in a prison cell with 13 other inmates and had a broken hand and a toothache, according to research by Puls24 and the Standard. He said there were no beds or daylight and that the young man from Lower Austria is only allowed outside for five minutes a week. He has already been ordered to pay damages for his alleged offences totalling 30,000 Saudi riyals - just over £6,000. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.